April saw the conclusion of Scotia Gas Networks’ pilot trial of the new OSPREY Pressure Validator.

The project consisted of a field trial of OSPREY - Abriox’s new wireless, intrinsically safe, battery-powered remote monitoring unit that fits inside bollards, posts and meter boxes and monitors gas pressure up to 100mbar. Objectives included:

  • Allowing SGN to transmit data automatically or on-demand to a new pressure management website (“PressureTrac”) which displays, interprets and can archive the results
  • Allowing real-time analysis of pressure data and exporting it automatically into network validation software for planning and emergency response to poor pressure problems
  • Evaluating and reporting on the costs and benefits of the OSPREY system

OSPREY has been trialled and tested across SGN’s regional networks for 4 months during the winter months of 2013/2014 alongside the current validation loggers used.

The project was funded by the Network Innovation Allowance. It was delivered on time and on budget with all key success criteria realized. Some of the key benefits included:

  • OSPREY was used for long term poor pressure investigations as well as emergency poor pressure investigations
  • Field trial reported pressures consistent with the recordings of our existing pressure loggers with <+/-1% differential (considered a very high accuracy level)
  • Network Planning reported that pressure data was easily accessible and allowed for real time analysis
  • Total installation time averaged approximately 22 minutes (6 minutes signal recognition), showing a substantial improvement on the historical average of 45 minutes per logger unit
  • Accurate location through GPS was verified through OS location data and at the end of the trial all units were successfully located
  • Network Planning proved the possible usage of a direct link to SynerGEE (relevant Planning software)

The SGN Final Report can be viewed here